The present invention is related to training aids for soccer, and specifically to a device to teach young soccer players the optimum contact areas on each foot for kicking a soccer ball.
Young children's first attempt in organized competitive sports is often on the soccer field. Aspiring soccer players are full of energy and enthusiasm, but often have difficulty in taking directional instructions (e.g., kick the ball with the instep of your right foot) and are easily discouraged when mistakes are made. Consequently, teaching the fundamental kicks used in the game of soccer is a difficult process for even the most experienced coaches.
There are four basic areas of the foot used to propel a soccer ball. They are the inside of the foot; inside of the instep; the instep; and the outside of the foot. Each kick is used for a different purpose, to accomplish different results throughout the game.
Teaching these fundamentals to the novice player should be the main focus for coaches throughout the player's first two to three seasons of play. However, many coaches volunteer with little or no knowledge of these basic kicks or the developmental stage of these young players. Consequently, these players receive little accurate feedback as to the proper execution of these fundamental skills.
Attempts have been made to attach targets to a player's shoes to indicate the correct points of contact between the foot and the soccer ball for various kicks. The difficulty of affixing such a target to a soccer shoe, in a way that will resist the force of a soccer kick, has limited these targets to locations on the instep, that is the top of the foot where the laces of the shoes are located. This single location has limited the usefulness of such attachable targets.
Alternatively, specialized soccer training shoes have been created with colored patches. These shoes provide a greater variety of target areas but are an impractical expense in most junior leagues.